8F- The Michigan Daily - New Student Edition - September 8, 1998
Bars add flavor of
nightlife to tame
Ann Arbor streets
By Fred Link
Daily Staff Reporter
Whether it's a break from studying or
a sweekend jaunt, there is little doubt
that, at some point, the Ann Arbor bars
will yelcome drinkers of all shapes and
sizes.
And, after one's 21st birthday, numer-
ous bars swing open their doors and
beckon patrons.
A good place to start is
Scorekeeper's. Located on Maynard
Street next to the parking garage,
"Skeeper's," is one of the more popular
bars on campus. Like most of the large
bars on campus, a cover charge is
required on most nights, but it's well
worth it. Inside, televisions abound for
the sports fan along with pool tables,
dart-boards and a dance floor.
Thursday night is Scorekeeper's spe-
cials night, so any Thursday night plans
should consider Scorekeeper's despite a
waitin line.
Another generally crowded sports
barji Touchdown Cafe, located next to
McDonald's on South University
Avenue near the South Forest Avenue
intersection. Much like Scorekeeper's,
Touchdown's features several large tele-
visions and is an excellent place to take
inthe big game.
While there are a couple of pool
tables and a foosball table in the base-
ment, Touchdown is mainly a place to
come and sit, or if there's no room, to
stand, drink beer and watch the game.
Aton hould hunger strike after a couple
of, pitchers of cheap beer, Touchdown's
wings are fantastic. But, on most nights
it's likely there will be a cover charge.
Rick's American Cafe, on Church
Street near South University, is often
said to resemble a fraternity party with
a Cover charge. Rick's is a great place to
g6 for some live music, dancing and
cheap beer.
Wednesday is Rick's big night that
can halt the midweek blues. Lucky
patrons might run into one of their
favorite Michigan athletes, who have
been known to hang out there.
Mitch's Place, a rather large bar
located above Java House on the oppo-
site corner of South University and
South Forest from Touchdown, is often
crowded, especially on Tuesday nights.
But Mitch's large, cheap pitchers and
lively atmosphere make it well worth
the cover charge.
The search for a more laid-back place
to sit and talk to friends over a couple of
pints is Ashley's. Located on State
Street between William Street and
North University Avenue, Ashley's is
known for its expansive selection of
microbrews. The beer is expensive, but
with a beer menu that's longer than the
food menus at most restaurants, the
choices are endless. There is also an
extensive list of whiskey offerings.
A cheaper place to sit back and down
a couple of drinks with friends is the
Brown Jug, on South University near
the corner of Church Street. Pitchers of
beer are relatively inexpensive, and the
wait staff at the Brown Jug doesn't
close down until after 2:30 a.m. -- a
half-an-hour after the closing times at
most bars. Best of all, a trip to the
Brown Jug always seems to end up cost-
ing a little less than most other watering
holes.
Another popular campus bar is Good
Time Charlie's. Located just down the
street from the Brown Jug, Charlie's
features a wide selection of mixed
drinks and some tasty appetizers.
During the summer months and into the
first fdw of weeks of September, sitting
in Charlie's outdoor, streetside seating
area can be a great way to spend an
afternoon.
When the beautiful weather is calling
students outside, Dominick's becomes
the place to be. Located just across the
street from the Law School on Monroe
Street, Dominick's is closed during the
AURIANA YUUOVICH/Daily
Despite its location in the Main Street area and distance from campus, the Bird of Paradise bar is not too far away to draw
University students. The ritual celebration of a 21st birthday rarely passes without a trip to the bar with friends.
winter, but when the weather turns
warm there's nothing better than sitting
in the back garden in the sun and down-
ing a pitcher of sangria or beer.'
The drinks are pretty expensive, but
the pleasure of drinking outside on a
warm summer day makes the high
prices well worth it.
Main Street offers some off-campus
refreshment as well. It's a bit far, but the
Main Street bars make it work the walk.
The newest addition to the Main
Street bar scene is Conner O'Neil's.
located on Main between William
Street and Liberty Street. Complete
with a very Irish sounding man at the
door asking, "Can I see some I.D.,
lads?", Conner O'Neil's tries very hard
to portray itself as a genuine Irish pub.
While the atmosphere isn't quite con-
vincing, Conner O'Neil's is a relaxing,
if expensive, place to enjoy a pint of
Guinness.
The One-Eyed Moose, on Main
Street between Washington Street and.
Liberty, features large pitchers of pretty
good beer and a number of pool tables
which are frequently crowded. ,
Less than a block west of Main
Street, Del Rio and Old Town Tavern
are two small dimly-lit bars that offer a
coziness unavailable in any of the cam-
pus bars.
A little further South, on First Street
under the Blind Pig, the Eight Ball
Saloon is probably the closest place in
Ann Arbor to a seedy bar. Featuring
cheap bottles of Black Label beer, the
Eight Ball is totally opposite from
Scorekeeper's and Rick's and a definite
change of pace.
While the Ann Arbor bar scene may
not be a renowned as that of some other
cities, Ann Arbor has plenty to offer.
Whatever the taste, Ann Arbor's many
drinking establishments are abundant
for the ardent drinker.
Cheers!
Evening restaurants offer wide
variety for hungry student body'
By Josh Kleinbaum
Daily Staff Reporter
Picture it: It's the middle of October,
every University professor has sched-
uled midterms for the same two days
and it's Parents Weekend.
As students try to juggle studying
with quality visiting time with their
families, one thought is the most
prevalent: free food.
But where is the best place to scam
a free meal? Well, for just such occa-
sions, here's a little guide to some of
the restaurants in Ann Arbor.
BD's MONGOLIAN BARBECUE: This
all-you-can-eat feast, coupled with its
unique serving style, makes
Mongolian one of the most enjoyable
restaurants in Ann Arbor. A buffet-
style bar loaded with raw meat and
toppings awaits the patrons. Diners fill
up bowls with a choice of beef, lamb,
pork, poultry, tofu or seafood, load on
top fresh vegetables, oils, spices and
seasonings. Then they bring their cre-
ation to the grill where it is cooked
with long wooden sticks and given
back to the diner to eat along with a
tortilla and rice. While Mongolian is a
little pricey - figure about $15 per
person for dinner, a drink and tip - it
is an all-you-can-eat restaurant and if
patrons can eat at least three bowls,
they're getting their money's worth.
Located in the heart of downtown at
the corner of Main Street and
Washington Street, Mongolian doesn't
take reservations, so arrive early and
anticipate a wait.
MOUNTAIN JACK'S: This is a typical
steak house. It offers a wide variety of
steaks, from sirloins to filet mignons,
cooked to order. Although it offers
nothing unique or different from the
average steak house, the food is deli-
cious. Located on the outskirts of town
on Maple Road, any meat-lover would
love Mountain Jack. Besides meat, the
menu offers a full complement of
chicken and seafood, but if you are a
vegetarian, this isn't for you - there
are no veggie meals on the menu.
WEST END GRILL: This small
restaurant, right downtown on Liberty
Street, is one of Ann Arbor's hidden
treasures. Although extremely expen-
sive - an appetizer and an entree will
cost about $30 - the West End Grill
offers some of the best food in Ann
Arbor. The atmosphere is ideal for a
date - soft lighting, candles at the
table. Offering what they term a "New
American Cuisine" -- mostly steak
and seafood, but featuring sauces with
an asian influence -the West End
Grill offers a very short menu. Entrees
range from asian salmon to chillian sea
bass to steak stuffed with lobster and
langastinos, all are excellent and inter-
estingly prepared. But be careful, the
West End Grill is only open for dinner
and is closed Sunday and Monday.
CRAZY Jim's BLIMPY BURGER:
Although not really a restaurant, no
review on food in Ann Arbor would be
complete without mentioning
Blimpy's. Offering the greasiest and
greatest burgers in Ann Arbor, this
hamburger stand has a unique method
of preparing its burger. Rather than
making one large patty, Blimpy's
makes several patties per burger.
When ordering, customers specify
how many patties, beginning with dou-
ble up to the quint burger. Crazy Jim's
slogan is "Cheaper than food," and it is
pretty cheap - five bucks will buy a
triple burger, fries and a drink. But be
careful - patrons have said that while
eating, it is possible to feel your arter-
ies tightening, and unofficial studies
suggest that going more than once a
month just could be detrimental to
good health.
COTTAGE INN: Although Cottage
Inn is a pizza restaurant, it is anything
but run-of-the-mill. Although you can
get 'normal' pizza, their brick-oven
specialty pizzas, such as barbecue
chicken pizza, are what they are
known for. In addition to pizza,1
Cottage Inn has a relatively complete
Italian menu including assorted pastas
and jasagna. Be sure to make a reser-
vation, though, because without one,
the wait can be as long as an hour.
CANDY DANCER: This upscale
restaurant - built inside of the old
train station on Depot Street - is ideal
for special occasions such as a post-
graduation family dinner. The Gandy
Dancer is known for its Sunday
brunch, which has everything froi
Belgian waffles to shrimp. The dinner
menu isn't too shabby, either, featuring
a typical menu, with a solid selection
of chicken, fish and meat.
RED HAWK GRILL: The best thing
about this restaurant is its location -
situated right at the corner of State
Street and North University. Red
Hawk is in walking distance from any-
where on campus and a great place too
meet people for lunch. Their menu
consists primarily of sandwiches and
burgers.
GRIZZLY PEAK: Besides being an
excellent restaurant, Grizzly Peak,
located downtown on Washington
Street, has the added bonus of brewing
its own beer on site. The menu is very
diverse - you can get anything from a
chicken sandwich to a great hamburg-
er with a side of their unique cole slaw,
made with green onion, red and yellow*
peppers, cabbage and carrots and their
honey-jalapeno vinaigrette.
The atmosphere at Grizzly Peak is
good for a date - not quite upscale
but fancier than the most of tb^ restau-
rants in Ann Arbor.
STEVE GERTZ/Daily
Palo is just one of many Italian restaurants available to the Ann Arbor diner. Located at the corner of Main Street and William
across from Gratzi, Pallo offers an extensive menu with outdoor seating available during the summer months. Inside the
restaurant, the decor is true to its Italian roots as the feel of an Italian household dominates the decor.
I I
Angelo's offers paradise in toast
v
By Josh Kleinbaum
Daily Staff Reporter
The line is part of the experience.
Oh, most people don't like it.
Especially in the middle of an Ann Arbor
and Glen Avenue, has the best breakfast
food in town.
While the french toast is famous,
everything is good, from the big, fluffy
pancakes to the delicious omelets.
An,-n'c arn hnc c rant Lunntc.0nArh_
they could have been made with Hungry
Jack's mix. The scrambled eggs were a
little too runny, the french toast a little
too dry. The lackluster service leaves a
little to be desired, such as frequent cof-
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